Published on March 15, 2024, 1:04 am

Let’s start with a knowledge test. Who uttered the following?

“We all agree on the need to better secure the border and to punish employers who choose to hire illegal immigrants. We are a generous and welcoming people here in the United States. But those who enter the country illegally and those who employ them disrespect the rule of law, and they are showing disregard for those who are following the law.”

“We simply cannot allow people to pour into the United States undetected, undocumented, unchecked, and circumventing the line of people who are waiting patiently, diligently, and lawfully to become immigrants in this country.”

Was it Former President Donald J. Trump? U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)? U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.)? The surprising answer: none of these conservative Republicans said these words! The unexpected author was none other than Barack Obama at a December 15, 2005 news conference during his term as a US senator.

Indeed “Illegal” was part of everyday political discourse among top Democrats until recently when such terms were labelled as hate speech.

President Joe Biden also sparked controversy recently when he referred to an illegal immigrant responsible for killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley during his State of the Union address.

“Ugly and uncalled for,” is how U.S Rep Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) condemned Biden’s remark about illegal immigrants, accusing him of taking up Trump’s incendiary rhetoric.

This reaction starkly contrasts with past pronouncements by Democrat figureheads using similar language:

During his promotion of Obamacare in 2009’s Joint Congressional Address, Barack Obama alienated some Republicans when referring openly to “illegal immigrants.”

Speaking with Texas Democrats at Austin Music Hall in March 2016, Obama discussed how “illegal immigration” had dropped to a four-decade low which elicited resounding applause from attendees.

In his 1995 State of the Union address, President Bill Clinton openly expressed the concerns of Americans about the “large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country.”

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) stuck to the book stating that “people who enter the United States without our permission are illegal aliens” in a 2009 speech.

Former Nevada Senator and previous Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid asked on September 20, 1993, why American society rewards activities such as illegal entry into the States and even bearing children in America while violating immigration laws.

As much as today’s Democrats wince at words like “illegal” or “illegal alien”, they lean more towards jargon like “undocumented,” which others claim obscures unsettling truths about unlawful immigration realities.

Legal language such as ‘alien’ and ‘illegal alien’ are used throughout U.S legal code and court decisions providing clear definitions for non-citizen individuals residing in America without official sanction.

On another front, it seems that the purpose behind Democrats’ wordplay may be to provide political cover for their tactics including alleged attempts to secure more Democrat territory acquisition via incentivizing migration both legal and otherwise. This includes criticisms surrounding Attorney General Merrick Garland’s recent focus on revising states’ voting laws which some suggest could encourage migrants regardless of status, conveniently rebranded by The White House as “newcomers,” to cast votes somewhat opportunistically.

Consequently, conservatives need to remain mindful of deceptive rhetoric from all quarters. As Heritage Foundation Senior Legal Fellow Hans A. von Spakovsky puts it succinctly: “Under federal law, any individual in this country who is not a citizen is an alien… End of story.”

Trusted news through a Christian worldview can reveal real news insights that mainstream media may otherwise choose to bury beneath politically convenient language.